At club level he played with Newcestown and divisional side Carbery and was also a member of the Cork senior hurling team.
He was still eligible for the minor grade when he progressed onto the club's adult teams and won a South West JHC title in his debut season in 1969.
Crowley also enjoyed club success as a Gaelic footballer when he was part of the Newcestown team that beat St. Finbarr's to win the Cork IFC title in 1971.
Crowley's performances as a schoolboy with St. Finbarr's College earned a call-up to the Cork minor hurling team for the 1969 Munster MHC.
A broken ankle for Pat Moylan resulted in Crowley securing a place on the Cork team for their 1977 Munster SHC-winning campaign.
[16] He brought his own personal tally of Munster medals to three in 1979, however, Cork later missed out on winning a fourth successive All-Ireland title.
[17] In spite of a lack of championship success over the following few seasons, Crowley went on to claim consecutive National League titles with the team in 1980 and 1981.
[19] He won a seventh and final provincial winners' medal in 1985, however, his inter-county career ended after a defeat by Galway in the subsequent All-Ireland semi-final.